


The Golden Rope

by HN94



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, HP: EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, I can't believe I didn't see this sooner, Internalized Acephobia, It makes so much sense, M/M, Romance, Soul Bond, Spells & Enchantments, Unbreakable Vow (Harry Potter), Wand lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-15 23:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9262997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HN94/pseuds/HN94
Summary: When Harry dueled Voldemort, Harry learned another power of the Elder wand. It changes the properties of the other wand...Draco's wand. If Harry wants to give it back, he's going to have to become bonded to the boy for life...but maybe he doesn't mind too much, his sanity depends on having Draco in his life anyways.





	1. It All Started After the Trial

Harry had never felt so scared in his life…okay, that's not exactly true, this is Harry Potter we are talking about, but in the moment that the ministry was discussing Draco and Narcissa's fates, Harry felt like he couldn't breathe. 

No one had known Harry was going to be a witness for the defense other than the Minister himself. This trial, like everything else he had been apart of, was not about him at all. And he didn't want the attention to be anywhere near him during the trial, so he had kept his mouth shut, and owled the Minister. The Minister had immediately understood Harry's reasoning and so here he sat awaiting a verdict like everyone else in the room. 

"All rise." Harry felt his body move but his mind was too nervous to comprehend what was happening. "In the case of the People vs. Draco Malfoy, we find the defendant guilty." Harry was stunned. Had everything he said not been enough? Maybe he should have explained what happened in the Manor a bit better. Yes, that must be it, he didn't give enough detail, maybe they weren't convinced Draco really knew it was him. He stopped, they were still speaking. 

"…however, given Harry Potter's testimony, we move for the defendant to be put on parole. He does not seem to be a danger to himself or others, but we want to make sure. Also, he will be required to return to Hogwarts to retake his 7th year. As long as he passes his N.E.W.T.S., his current record will be expunged and he can, should he chose, leave the Malfoy name in his past to start his life again as an upstanding citizen. If on the other hand, failure to pass the N.E.W.T.S. will result in two years in Azkaban followed by relinquishing use of a wand for the rest of his life."

Harry stopped listening after that. Draco's…free? He didn't want to believe it. They still weren't mates, acquaintances even, but Harry felt a sort of kinship with the bloke. They both went through the war, losing a lot in the process and came out mostly unscathed themselves. Harry didn't know how, but he decided then that he needed the young Malfoy in his life. His sanity depended on it.


	2. Harry's Confessions

Harry snuck back into his bedroom at the Burrow. And before you ask, no, he hadn't told anyone there about the trial either, but within minutes, Molly Weasley was opening his door. Of course she knew, she always knew. 

"Harry dear, may I come in?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You know, you didn't have to sneak out. I'm sure Ron and Hermione would have understood." He nodded and looked away. He felt guilty having not told her. She was the closest thing he had to a mum and he had lied to her for no reason at all. 

"You aren't mad?" Harry looked up. He looked like a small child to Mrs. Weasley, not the 18 year old man he had become. She came to join him on the bed. "No, dear," she said rubbing circles on his back. "There has always been something between you and the Malfoy boy, it was very good of you to go and testify for him. And if Ron doesn't understand that then you can be sure he will get a very stern talking to about the definition of friendship." Harry let out a short laugh. "If you need anything, let me know, you're basically my son, Harry, and if I'm being completely honest, probably my favorite child." She gave him a small smile as she closed the door. 

Harry sighed, he had so many thoughts running through his head. How would he connect with Draco? Would Ron ever forgive him? How did he find such an amazing woman to call his mum? But his thoughts were cut short with a knock on his door. "Harry, mate, my mum said I should come up and talk to you." Harry rolled his eyes thankful the door was still closed. Of course Ron was too daft to figure out what was going on on his own. "Yes, you may come it" Harry said waiting for Ron to enter. 

Ron may be quite oblivious most of the time, but when it came to his best friend, he at least knew when something was wrong. "How much am I going to dislike what you have to say?" he looked at Harry quizzically. Harry took a deep breath. "I went to the trial, actually I testified at the trial. Both Mrs. Malfoy and Draco got off with parole, Draco's on the contingency that he aces his N.E.W.T.S. so he's coming back to Hogwarts and…" Harry was cut off. "Woah, mate, slow down. Did I hear you say that the Ferret got off with nothing?!?!" Ron was beginning to turn as red as his hair. 

"He's on parole till the end of the summer, but yes, the wizarding counsel believed my testimony was enough proof to give him a second chance. And, for the record, I'm quite happy with the verdict." And that was it. Ron glared at Harry, said "I thought you were my best friend, I guess I was wrong," and left. 

Not a minute later did Hermione walk in, without knocking, I might add. "Harry? Ron's furious, but before I jump to conclusions, I'd like to hear your side of the story." She stood by the door with her arms crossed waiting for him to say something.

"I fancy Malfoy," Harry blurted out. He went red immediately as he said it. "That's not what I told Ron, that's not even something I think I knew for myself until right now." Harry shifted on the bed. "Oh, Harry!" Hermione ran over and engulfed him in a hug. "He is not my favourite person, but there has always been something between you." Harry laughed, "That's what Mrs. Weasley said, but that's not even what I told Ron, I just told Ron that I testified at the Malfoy trial and Draco is getting a second chance. He didn't like that much, not that I expected him to, I just thought, after the war, Ron would get over his stupid prejudices. I guess I was wrong." Harry felt a tear roll down his face and he wiped it away with the sleeve of his shirt before Hermione could see. 

"It's okay, Harry, I'll talk to him. I'm sure he's just in shock, is all," Hermione tried to reassure him, but all she did was confirm what he already knew. It would be a long time before Ron spoke to him again. 

It turned out, he and Ron had to talk sooner than he would have hoped. Much sooner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I guess I don't know how to write long chapters. I promise, I will try and start writing longer, but this just felt like the correct stopping point. 
> 
> The story has a really slow build, but I promise it will be worth it, I hope you stick with it!


	3. Summer at the Burrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who can actually get a chapter up weekly deserves so much credit, I didn't realize how much time I didn't give to this, I'm so sorry for anyone who wants to read the story. I'll try and be better for the next chapter! I'm still getting the hang of writing longer, but this is over 1k words, so that's an improvement, anyways, enjoy!

When the war had ended, Harry had used the elder wand for one thing before placing it in Professor Dumbledore's coffin, to fix his own wand. It felt right to have his wand back again. It didn't feel like he was missing a limb anymore. But now, he had two wands and had no use for the one he won the duel with. Which happened to be Draco's. So he wrapped it in green silk and planned to place it at the bottom of his trunk to keep it safe. 

However, Ron found it first.

\---------------------------------

Harry woke up to screaming. Even from his bedroom, he could hear Ron shouting at something or someone. Harry opened his eyes groggily and put on his glasses shuffling out of bed and down the stairs to Ron and Hermione's bedroom. It's six in the bloody morning, Harry thought, why is anyone in the world awake right now? 

He stood outside the door and listened to the argument taking place inside. 

"Ron, it wasn't yours to touch in the first place, so the fact that it doesn't work for you shouldn't even matter."

"But, Hermione, this is Malfoy's wand! It's not like there is some special warding that should keep me from using it. And besides, HARRY KEPT THE FUCKING GIT'S WAND. HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO BREAK IT IN HALF OR SOMMAT!"

Though he had been straining before, Harry could hear the second part perfectly. Ron had gone into his room, found Draco's wand and was now trying to use it. The odd part being, it didn't seem to be working. 

Harry was puzzled, to say the least, he didn't know of any wand, other than the elder wand, that only one wizard could have complete power over. 

The elder wand. 

And then it clicked, or as much as it could without doing any research. Draco's wand, the properties must have changed. In dueling Voldemort, the wand now had only one owner, Harry. 

"Ron, really, you are being completely unreasonable. That is Harry's property and you took it from his room. I'm really disappointed in you. Give me the wand."

Harry heard movement in the room and snapped out of his thoughts. He bolted back to his bedroom making more noise than he meant to in the process. He scrambled back into bed, threw off his glasses and pretended to be asleep. The door opened quietly. 

"Harry, are you awake?" It was Hermione, of course. Harry turned over rubbing his eyes and grabbing his glasses off the floor (thank Merlin they didn't break). "Yeh, 'Mione, what do you need?" Hermione came to sit on the bed and handed him the wand. "Harry, I'm so sorry! I didn't know he took it until he showed it to me and I didn't even know you still had it. I'm afraid he's not any happier with you than he was last week." 

She took a deep breath and composed herself. "I think that maybe you should leave. I don't think having you here is good for you or Ron and it seems like you have a lot of research to do back at school anyways. I suggest you send an owl to Professor McGonagall and ask if you can help rebuild the school." Harry started to speak but she cut him off. "And before you ask, I knew months ago. 'When one duels with a wizard who possesses the Elder Wand, that wand becomes fixed, meaning the current user becomes the sole owner and sole user.'" 

Harry stared wide-eyed, he had only figured this out a few minutes ago and it was only a hunch. This is Hermione, but still. "Okay, I got that part, but can I ever give Draco his wand back? I mean for most people, your boyfriend excluded," Harry thought back to Ron's first wand and shuttered, "isn't it extremely challenging to find a wand that fits with you as well as the wand you get before first year?" Hermione grabbed both of Harry's hands and turned to fully face him so they were eye to eye. 

"There is one spell I found, but it's old magic, one of the first spells ever cast and it's extremely powerful. I don't know the specifics, but I do know it's a couple's spell. It would give you the ability to use his wand as if it chose you and the same for him. If I understand it correctly, if his wand recognizes him, it will go back to his possession, though with the spell, you will still be able to use it perfectly fine. As I said, it's old magic, you would have to go into the restricted section to find out more." She spoke as Hermione always did, in theory. This was an old spell that even she knew nothing about except that it existed, which is more than Harry could say he knew. 

Without needing to say another word, Hermione stood up and walked out. They both knew. It was settled. Harry would leave right after his birthday. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days following his talk with Hermione, Harry had sent an owl to Professor McGonagall asking if he could help with the repairs on the school. She replied back less than a day later letting him know that the Room of Requirement hadn't been touched since the fire and he was more than welcome to work on repairing it before the start of the new year. He gulped. Like everywhere else in the castle, the Room of Requirements had been a place of death and destruction except unlike the rest where he just saw the dead bodies, he witnessed this one first hand. 

He owled her back a quick letter of gratitude accepting the job before he could change his mind and that was that. 

The next few weeks were tumultuous and for the first time in his life, Harry wanted his birthday to be over long before it started. 

Molly, being the all knowing mother she was, paid Harry even more attention than usual and glared at Ron whenever he passed. Molly knew Ron had done something, though she didn't quite know what it was and that he had likely been in the wrong. 

Harry welcomed the attention, thinking about going back to Hogwarts sent shivers down his spine and Molly's coddling lessened it a bit even though he still had yet to tell her he was leaving. 

He didn't want much fuss or arguing so he decided not to say anything at all, in hindsight, this was probably not his best move, but he needed to leave and everyone but Ron would come up with a reason why he shouldn't, guilting him into staying. 

Harry's birthday served as the first celebration since the war. Molly prepared a feast to rival Hogwarts and transformed the swamps around the Burrow into little tents. The whole affair was overwhelming, to say the least, though, much to his surprise, he didn't seem to be at the center of it. It felt to him like it had more to do with the wizarding world itself, which was fine by him until he became part of the conversation. 

He had planned on leaving after the festivities, saying goodbye and making a little thing out of it, however, He soon learned July 31 has now been named Harry Potter day and that was as much as he could take. He mustered up as much gratitude as he could (he didn't try very hard), said he needed to put the wand to the city in his trunk and didn't come back down. Instead, he miniaturized his already packed trunk and apparated to the Hogwarts gate. 

Though Professor McGonagall had been at the party, she was, of course, there to greet him.


	4. The Room of Requirements

Harry follows Professor McGonagall up to her office. It was weird being back. For the most part, the damage from the war was but a distant memory. The left over cracks in the wall were healing themselves as he walked by. Paintings were running around frantically looking for missing canvas. If it hadn't left a pit in his stomach he would have found the entire visual extremely amusing. As he passed each portrait he was bowed to and thanked. By the time he reached the staircase to Professor McGonagall's office, all portrait subjects were trying to get the best view of The Chosen One. As chaotic as it felt. He was home. 

He's memorised these stairs from the many times he had come up to see Dumbledore. He smiles when he hears her say the password, she had changed it back to Lemon Drop. 

Harry took a seat across the desk from the professor. He was nervous, even though he knew there was no reason to be. He knew he wasn't in trouble, he had set up the meeting, but still. 

Professor McGonagall took a piece of parchment out of the drawer in her desk and looked at Harry. 

"You and Mr. Weasley had a fight, is that correct Mr. Potter?" Harry sputtered. That had not been in his letter back to the professor. "Yes, but how did you…" Harry stopped, of course she knew, she probably knew why they had been fighting too. He sighed in defeat just assuming at this point that she could probably read his mind. 

"I can't read minds, Mr. Potter, so you don't have to look that frightened. Just explain to me your reasoning for requesting to help, and that will be that." She finished looking at him expectantly.

He exhaled. "I still have Draco Malfoy's wand, professor, and when Ron found out he instantly hated me. I couldn't stay at the burrow for the rest of the summer. I've spent too many in toxic households." He cleared his throat, very aware he was almost on the verge of tears. "Hogwarts has felt more like home to me that anywhere else. Hogwarts has always felt safe to me, no matter how untrue that sometimes was. I need to help make it safe again."

Harry felt quite proud of his little speech and waited patiently for Professor McGonagall to comment. "Very well, Mr. Potter." She looked tired. He'd never seen her look this tired before. Sighing, she continued. "It is going to be challenging, and especially with that room and everything you've endured there, incredibly emotional. Professor Flitwick and I made it so you could use the room to sleep in while you are working. There is a bedroom fully set up if you just think your own name walking past the wall. The magic of the room still works, but many of the rooms themselves are damaged, specifically The Room of Hidden Things. You have full access to the restricted section of the library. Though the school looks mostly put back together, the wards are down, and though we are working to get them back up again, you can aparate from inside the school as of right now. I will let you know when that is no longer possible. And, Harry, thank you. The school would not even be standing if it wasn't for you."

Somehow it was different. All those people fawning over him, saying he saved the world put a pit in his stomach, but with Professor McGonagall, it was different, and he felt—proud. For the first time he felt like what he had done was the right thing. Maybe he could get through the rest of this summer.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following weeks were stressful. He had no idea what he had been expecting, but it wasn't this. He didn't know what enchantments had created the room and how to make them stable again, but most importantly, he couldn't bring himself to make The Room of Hidden Things appear. 

He spent most of his days in the library pouring over books about feindfyre, most of which were fairy tales . He learned very little on most of these journeys. Unfortunately, he learned enough to know that as much as he was dreading it, the room was safe. The fire went out months prior and could not have possibly lasted past the early summer. It was July, he had no excuse anymore. 

The room didn't terrify him as much as the things it still represented: the vanishing cabinet, the horcruxes, the half blood prince, Fiendfyre, and Crabbe. He had hated the kid with a burning passion, but he had been just a kid, which, of course, led him back to thoughts about Draco and what the room had been for him.

Sixth year had been insane and terrifying for Harry, but for Draco, it had been a whole different story. That room was the difference between life and death for him. Harry's mind started rewinding back to Borgin and Burkes. 

He remembered how frightened and small Draco had looked. Harry surmised he started falling for the bloke then. He remembered using Septum Sempra on Draco and watching as he bled out, how the tiles turned a tie dyed shade of red, how he couldn't move, couldn't breathe after he had cast the spell. When Voldemort had killed Dumbledore, he had watched from the cracks in the floor. Draco had lowered his wand. Draco couldn't do it. All these memories revolved around the bloody room. 

Harry took a deep breath "I need a room where I can hide anything" he thought walking back and forth in front of the wall. His heart was beating so loud he thought anyone walking past could hear it. And just like that, a door appeared. Harry swallowed hard, readied his wand for whatever he would find and opened the door. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took a few minutes for Harry to find his footing. Everything was covered in ash, piles that had been up to the ceiling had crashed down unceremoniously all over the floor. There was gold and silver everywhere, he mused that feindfyre must not be able to burn such precious metals. Oddly enough though, it wasn't the gold or silver that first caught his eye, but a clear marble ball that fit neatly in his hands. He was holding Neville's remembrall that he had "lost" in first year. It looked like now, maybe Draco had known about this room far longer than Harry ever had. 

He found other things too, a second Marauder's map, of course there had been more than one, the hourglass necklace Hermione had used to make it to class on time in third year, and, of course, Snape's old potion book. Harry rolled his eyes. Of course everything would burn other than the things that held tumultuous memories for him. 

He looked around. It was not only his job to fix the Room of Requirements, but he had also been tasked with making this specific room usable again. The room was about the size of The Great Hall and where there wasn't ash, there were piles of what he could only assume to be crap, and he had to go through them all. 

"Terego," Harry says, pointing his wand at a small pile by the door. The ash disappears leaving a pile of stuff to go through, stuff he had no interest in going though, but he doesn’t even think about that yet, the spell might be helpful, but he was going to have to cast it on every single pile in the room. 

Before he knew it, he could barely keep his eyes open. The room was ash free, but it wasn't nearly useable yet. Most aisles were damned by a pile that had fallen over and he could barely make his way back to the door as it was. 

He walked outside, closed the door and it disappeared. 

Even in his tired state, or maybe, especially in his tired state, Harry found himself wandering towards the library, rather than going directly to sleep. Maybe he was turning into Hermonione, he wasn't sure. 

He thought about everything he had done that day and then his mind accidentally wandered to Draco, and it clicked, that's why he wandered here, the wand. 

Suddenly full of energy, Harry bounded down the rows he picked out every book that so much as mentioned wand lore or ancient magic. 

He could see light streaming through the windows of the library by the time he looked up. He had figured it out. He knew how to return Draco's wand and, it wasn't going to be easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you've checked out the tags, some of them have changed. I got a huge inspiration, which I'm really excited about and I believe will move along nicely with the story. It's been slow so far but either the next chapter or the one after that will really introduce Draco, which is what I'm more excited for than anything.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who had been reading, I really hope you have enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic ever. I've been reading them for years, but never felt the need to write one...until now. Will hopefully update once a week, but in school and have a job, so we'll see. 
> 
> Special thanks to my amazing friend Alanna who pushed me to do this and helped me sort out the details. Also thanks to everyone who put up with my prompt on Omegle, it really helped hash this out and make it what it has become.
> 
> Also, I hope you don't mind that this is being updated faster than I said it would. 
> 
> When inspiration strikes


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